Adjustable feedboard construction for ironers



Feb. 6, 1962 L. E. SCHRADER 3,019,538

ADJUSTABLE FEEDBOARD CONSTRUCTION FOR IRONERS Filed Jan. 20, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet l ENTOR. 7422 7! Feb. 6, 1962 L. E. SCHRADER 3,019,538

ADJUSTABLE FEEDBOARD CONSTRUCTION FOR IRONERS Filed Jan. 20, 1958 2 SheetsSheet 2 -INVENTOR. A4767: Z: ksklrdufez United States Patent 3,019,538 ADJUSTABLE FEEDBOARD CONSTRUCTION FOR IRONERS Loren Schrader, Mount Clemens, Mich., assignor to Ironr te, Iue, Mount Clemens, Mich, a corporation of Michigan Filed Jan. 20, 1953, Ser. No. 709,923 Claims. (Cl. 38-64) This invention relates generally to ironing machines and more particularly to an ironer having an adjustable feedboard structure.

Ironers are normally provided with a substantially horizontal feedboard located adjacent the ironer shoe which encloses the heating elements. The feedboard gets its name from its function of supporting articles to be ironed as these articles are fed into the ironer between the upper end of the shoe and the movable ironer roll associated with the shoe. In order to provide the desired supporting surface, the feedboard is usually formed of a length corresponding to the length of the shoe. Accordingly, the feedboard actually interferes with the handling and manipulation of small garment portions, rufiles and the like which are best ironed at the end of the shoe Where the operator can manipulate her hands to continually control the position of the article. This invention provides a feedboard mounting which provides for movement of the feedboard to an out-of-the-way position with respect to an end of the shoe when required.

An object of this invention is to provide an improved ironer having an adjustable feedboard.

A further object of this invention is to provide an ironer feediboard and shoe structure which is economical to manufacture, simple in construction, and efiicient in operation in providing for a desired location of the feedboard at any particular time.

Further objects, features and advantages of this. invention will become apparent from a consideration of the following description, the appended claims and the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of an ironer provided with the adjustable feedboard structure of this invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged end view of a portion of the ironer shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view looking along the line 3-3 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged sectional view looking along the line 44 in FIG. 1 and showing a moved position of the feedboard in broken lines;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view looking along the line 5-5 in FIG. 4;

FIG. dis a reduced sectional view looking at the bottom side of the feed'eoard structure as seen along the line 6-6 in FIG. 4; and

FIG. 7 is a sectional view looking along the line 7-7 in FIG. 5.

With reference to the drawing, the adjustable feedboard of this invention, indicated generally at 10, is illustrated in FIG. 1 in assembly relation with a roll-type ironer 12 adapted for home use. The ironer 12 includes a table 14 provided with an upstanding column or housing 16 for supporting a rotatable ironing roll 13 carried at the forward ends of a pair of inclined arms 21? (only one of which is shown in FIG. 1).

Opposite the roll 18, on what is normally considered the front side of the machine 12, a shoe supporting column 22 is secured to the table 14. An irregularly shaped shoe mounting plate 24 is secured to the upper end of the column 22 for supporting an ironing shoe 26 in the desired position relative to the roll 18. As shown in FIG. 2 the mounting plate 24 extends upwardly and forwardly hoe of the machine 12 and terminates at its upper end in a forwardly and slightly downwardly extending flat end portion 28 which is shown in FIG. 4. This portion 28 is provided with a pair of rectangular slots 30, only one of which is shown, spaced apart in a direction longitudinally of the feedboard 10. A hinge member 32 (FIG. 5), having an upright curved ear portion 34 and a horizontal mounting portion 36, is provided for each of the slots 30, with each hinge member 32 being arranged so that the ear portion 34 extends upward-1y through its slot 30 and the horizontal portion 36 is against the underside of the mounting plate portion 28. A tapped opening 38 in the mounting portion 36 is aligned with an opening 49 in the mounting plate portion 28 and screws 42 are extended through the openings 40 and threaded into the openings 38 for securing the hinge members 32 to the mounting plate 24 in positions in which the ear portions 34 project upwardly through the slots 30 as shown in FIG. 4.

A hinge rod 46 projects through an opening 44 in each ear portion 34 and extends between a pair of spaced mounting bosses 48 on the underside ofthe feedboard 10. Each mounting boss 43 has a groove or recess 50 which forms a seat for one end of the rod 46 so that a retaining plate 52, secured by a screw 54 to a portion of the mounting boss 48, is operable to lock the corresponding end of the rod 46 in the recess 50. As shown in FIG. 6, four retaining plates 52 are provided for clamping the four ends of the two rods 46 in their respective seats 50.

It can thus be seen that by virtue of the connection of the rods 46 to the underside of the feedboard Ill, and the sliding support of the rods 46 on the hinge members 32, the feedboard 14 is readily slidable longitudinally of the ironer shoe 26 within limits determined by the spacing of the rod mounting bosses 48 on the underside of the feedboard 16.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the feedboard. 10 is provided on its bottom side with downwardly projecting feet 56 which rest on the mounting plate portion 28 in an operative position of the feedboard It In such a position, the feedboard 10 is inclined downwardly and forwardly as illustrated in FIG. 5, since it has been found that in this position, the feedboard 10 provides the greatest aid in ironing.

In a position in which the feedboard 10 is centered with respect to the ironer roll 18 and the ironer shoe 26, one of the ear portions 34 is positioned within a slot or recess 6i) formed in a positioning boss 62 on the underside of the feedboard 10. With the ear portion 34 positioned within the recess 60, the feedboard 10 is effectively locked against accidental shifting movement in either direction longitudinally of the shoe 26.

In the event access to the left end of the shoe 26, as shown in FIG. 1, is desired, in ironing ruliles or the like, so that the operator can maintain a closer control over the ruffles, the feedboard It! is first lifted upwardly to the position illustrated in broken lines in FIG. 4 so that the boss 62 is above the corresponding ear portion 34. The feedboard 10 is then readily shifted to the right as illusrated in FIG. 1 to effectively expose the left end of the shoe 26. As soon as the recess 60 has been shifted to a position out of alignment with the cooperating ear portion 34, the feedboard 1%) can be lowered to its operative position. A position of the feedboard 10 shifted to the right is illustrated in broken lines in FIG. 1.

It is apparent that the feedboard 10 can be shifted a distance in either direction from a centered position equal to approximately half the length of a rod 46. Shifting movement of the feedboard 16 in an opposite direction, namely, to the left, as shown in FIG. 1, is .readily accomplished by duplicating the above procedure and merely shifting the feedboard to the left instead of the right.

When the feedboard is to be returned to a centered position, from a shifted position, it is first swung upwardly as shown in FIG. 4 and then manually moved to a centered position, which is readily determined since in this position the ends of the feedboard are opposite the ends of the ironer shoe 26, and then moved downwardly to position the ear portion 34 of one of the hinge members 32 in the recess 60. As shown in FIG. 5, the boss 62 is rounded at the entrance end 64 of the slot 60 to facilitate movement of a hinge member 32 into the slot 60.

From the above description, it is seen that this invention provides an ironer 12 which is provided with a feedboard 10 that in normal use of the ironer functions like the conventional feedboard to support articles being fed into the ironer. However, when movement of the feedboard 10 to an out-of-the-Way position is desired, it is readily shifted so as to be spaced inwardly of either end of the shoe 26. In such a position, the feedboard 10 cannot interfere with manipulation of small articles being ironed at the exposed end of the shoe 26.

Although the invention has been described with respect to a preferred embodiment thereof, it is to be understood that it is not to be so limited, since changes can be made therein which are within the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In an ironer having a stationary curved shoe and a roll movable into engagement with the shoe, a feedboard having a continuous upper surface of a length correspond ing substantially to the length of said shoe arranged adjacent the shoe for supporting articles to be ironed during feeding of the articles to the ironer between the shoe and the roll, longitudinally slidable hinge means supporting the feedboard on the shoe along the edge adjacent to the roll for movement to a first position in which the ends of said feedboard are adjacent the ends of the shoe and second and third positions in which the feedboard is shifted in opposite directions longitudinally thereof so as to enable handling and manipulation of articles at one end of the shoe, while enabling the feedboard to function as an article support for the remainder of said roll.

2. In an ironer having a stationary curved shoe and a roll movable into engagement with the shoe, a one piece feedboard arranged adjacent to the shoe and extending along the length of the roll, longitudinally spaced hinge members and a rod slidably disposed in said hinge members arranged along tlie edge of said shoe and said feedboard adjacent the roll and providing for up and down swinging movement of said feedboard'between lower and upper positions, means on the feedboard engageable with the shoe for supporting the feedboard in a substantially horizontal lower position, said hinge members and said rod providing for shifting of the feedboard horizontally in opposite directions, and projection and recess means on said feedboard and said shoe interengageable to prevent shifting of the feedboard in a lower position of the feedboard in which it is horizontally centered with respect to the shoe.

3. In an ironer having a stationary curved shoe, a feedboard of a length corresponding substantially to the length of said shoe arranged adjacent the shoe for supporting articles to be ironed during feeding of the articles to the ironer between the shoe and the roll, a pair of hinge members secured to said shoe, rod means carried by the feedboard and slidably supported on said hinge members, means forming a recess in said feedboard at a location for receiving one of said hinge members therein in a centered position of the feedboard relative to said shoe, said feedboard being swingable so that said rod means rotates in the hinge members and said recess is moved out of said position to provide for sliding movement of said feedboard.

4. In an ironer having a stationary curved shoe and a roll movable into engagement with the shoe, a feedboard having a continuous upper surface arranged adjacent the shoe for supporting articles to be ironed during feeding of the articles to the ironer between the shoe and the roll, a longitudinally slidable hinge associated with said feedboard and the shoe for pivotally and slidably supporting the feedboard on the shoe along the edge adjacent to the roll for movement to a first position in which it is horizontally centered with respect to the shoe and second and third positions in which the feedboard is shifted in opposite directions longitudinally thereof for selectively moving each end of the feedboard to a position moved inwardly of and away from the corresponding end of the shoe so as not to obstruct handling and manipulation of articles being ironed located at said end of the shoe, and engaging means associated with said feedboard and said shoe for releasably engaging said feedboard in said first position and disengageable when said feedboard is pivoted about said hinge to a raised position.

5. In an ironer having a stationary curved shoe, a feedboard of a length corresponding substantially to the length of said shoe arranged adjacent the shoe for supporting articles to be ironed during feeding of the articles to the ironer between the shoe and the roll, a pair of upright hinge members secured to said shoe, rod means carried by the feedboard and slidably supported on said hinge members, interengaging means on said feedboard and one of said hinge members for releasably locking the feedboard in a centered position relative to said shoe, said feedboard being movable to a position in which said interengaging means are moved apart so that said feedboard is slidable on said hinge members.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 920,693 Treat May 4, 1909 1,452,696 Mock Apr. 24, 1923 1,540,567 Porter June 2, 1925 1,841,243 Frantz Jan. 12, 1932 2,092,430 Stratton Sept. 7, 1937 2,616,774 Prince Nov. 4 1952 

